Tatemae
by hoshiko2kokoro
Summary: A side story to The Darkness Within Me that looks at Japan and America's relationship from their first meeting to shortly before the main story.
1. Treaty

_Hoshiko's 2cents: _Thought I'd sprinkle in this little fanfic. It connects to my other story _The Darkness Within Me_. I planned on originally having it be a rather long one-shot, but changed my mind. It'll be in five parts.

* * *

There was a light knock on the door. A moment later, the _Shoji_ screen silently slid open. The representative bowed cow-tow style before looking up at the back of his country. The thin man was dressed in his most regal kimono, that closest to the Emperor. It was pure white, red cherry blossoms fluttering down along his arms; the colors of his flag. This man that symbolized all that was Japanese stood by the window, watching the ocean; his ocean.

"Lord Japan," the man politely mumbled. He dared to not look at Kiku's pale skin and pure black hair. He could never hope to match him. "It's time. He's waiting for you."

Kiku was silent a moment, then, a sigh escaped his lips. "I cannot…escape from the world, I guess."

The man bowed again as Kiku turned to face him. He nodded, signaling to be taken to meet this stranger, this foreigner.

While Kiku wasn't new to foreigners, he had never met someone from this land across the Pacific. He wasn't sure what to expect with him, though there were rumors he would be forceful and rude. Kiku had to do as his government and people expected of him, though. However, he couldn't understand that small beating in his chest. Was he nervous?

The man slid the door open leading into the meeting room. Kiku stopped, catching himself. He thought he had been blinded as he saw him. He had blonde hair, like the color of wheat. One strand had stuck up at such an odd angle that Kiku was reminded of a leek. The man turned to look at Kiku. His eyes were shielded by glasses, but that didn't stop the pure blue of his eyes to capture Kiku in his stare.

Kiku had never looked another person in the eyes before, even his Emperor or-

"Hello!" the man said. Kiku was caught off guard not by his strange words, but by the enthusiasm in his voice. The man then smiled and Kiku was almost too afraid to approach him. "Are you Japan?"

Kiku stayed outside the room a moment longer before he collected himself. He bowed before entering and stood before the stranger. He had remembered how just a few months prior, Holland, Lars, had warned him of this man coming. When Kiku told his bosses, they installed in his head that this man would be evil, ugly, and demonic. But here he was, standing like any other human being, dressed in a formally pressed suit with a pleasant air about him and a wonderful smile.

"Um… Just a moment. Lars will be with us soon and he'll translate for us," Kiku mumbled. He looked down at the floor out of politeness.

"What?" The stranger came closer to Kiku. "I'm still trying to learn Japanese from those who've been here before, but…"

The silence lengthened between the two. Kiku took a chance to glance up and see the man again. He was looking out the window at the ocean. He didn't seem nervous, but rather looked very calm and collected, but hiding a hint of pure childlike enthusiasm. Kiku couldn't believe that he was staring at him again and it was a welcome distraction when Lars entered the room.

"Ah, Mr. Holland," Kiku said in relief. He glanced at the stranger. "I don't understand him."

The tall, pale European regarded the stranger and then returned his attention to Kiku. He took the long pipe from his mouth, his other hand briefly running through his messy pale blonde hair. Kiku's eyes quickly caught on to his scar that mysteriously never vanished from a war long ago.

"Yes, I know, but he knows Dutch," Lars started. "I can talk to him."

Kiku smiled and nodded his thanks. He started to sit when the stranger shoved his hand out to Kiku. The Asian man was quite startled and stumbled back from the hand. He looked up and, to his dismay, made direct eye contact with those blue eyes again.

"It's nice to finally meet you."

Lars pushed the man's hand away, shaking his head. "They don't do that here."

"Oh?" The stranger looked sad and confused. Kiku wished he could've done whatever it was the man wanted if only to make him smile again. He shook his head quickly, erasing such a thought. "Well, what do they do?"

"They bow. Like this." Lars turned and bowed politely to Kiku. "See?"

The man laughed and Kiku regretfully could feel his face warming up. "That's so cool and weird. I'll try it."

He then bowed. Kiku caught the back of his neck, where that blonde hair stopped on the base of his neck. The slightly tanned skin was incredibly flawless as it dipped down into his suit. Kiku promptly sat so he couldn't see it anymore. He pretended to cough into his kimono sleeve, hiding any trace of embarrassment at his sudden action.

Lars sat as Kiku did and the stranger sat Indian style. Kiku had seen many in the past and the few foreigners in Nagasaki do it before so he wasn't too surprised by it.

"This is Alfred," Lars started. "He's just like us, as you can guess, and he's come to you with a few requests."

"Alfred?" Kiku repeated, the strange name tumbling over in his mouth.

Alfred burst out laughing. "Is that how he says my name? It's so funny!"

Lars stared at Alfred to silence him, but his stare had no effect on the man. "Yes. There are no L's in Japanese. In any case, this is Kiku, but he prefers to be called Japan."

"Kiku?" Alfred repeated. "Why can't I call him Kiku? I call all countries by their real names."

Lars started to reply when he thought better of it. Perhaps Kiku had a better reason. He repeated the question to Kiku.

"Ah, well no one calls me by my real name. I don't find it pleasant for younger nations to call me that. It's a tradition in my culture to treat your elders with respect," Kiku replied, ever so politely.

He cast a glance at Alfred again. The man seemed to be in a trance with every word he spoke. Kiku looked back at Lars.

Lars repeated it to Alfred, but looked back at Kiku. "America's not the type to care about…respect to elders. I assume you don't know his past too well."

Kiku shook his head as a reply. Lars looked pained slightly, almost as if he didn't want to have to explain.

"He's a country," Kiku started before Lars. "He should know some respect."

"Should is a very nice thought with this one," Lars mumbled.

"Well!" Kiku jumped at Alfred's booming voice. The walls were so thin, Kiku worried others might be disturbed. "That's useless to me! I'll just call him Kiku."

Kiku was so taken aback by Alfred's attitude that he didn't know what to say for a moment or two. He looked down at the tatami mats, slightly angered, but he willed himself to not show anything. This man might have intruded and might have disturbed many people, bringing about a change to his serene peace, but he was still a guest. It was best to not show how troubled he truly was. There were still the political matters at hand.

"Oh," Kiku said softly. "Yes. May you please ask Mr. America why he has come here?"

"I've come to make friends with whales!" Alfred replied all too cheerfully. His expression and tone was so innocent that Kiku and Lars were amazed to believe it was true. "And other things, but those can wait! I want to be with you for awhile, Kiku."

Again, Kiku's heart beat lightly in his chest. He coughed again into his sleeve, his face heating up. He looked to the side and tried to think of an indirect way out of his request.

"If you want to visit with my politicians, I'm more than happy to show you to them," Kiku began.

Alfred shook his head. "No, no. I mean with _you_. I want to talk to you and learn about your culture, your history, and fun things like that. You know what I mean?"

"I…understand, but… Um…" Kiku had, in fact, not understood. Only one person had ever wanted to be around him for long extended periods of time and not talk about political issues, but he was gone. He'd been gone for a long time; longer than Alfred had been alive, probably.

And yet…


	2. Trifles

_Hoshiko2's cents: _I realized I never put a disclaimer down for this small series. This is put down for the rest of this series. I do not own _Hetalia_ (_World Series_ or _Axis Powers_). That belongs to the brilliant Himaruya Hidekazu.  
Please, feel free to leave me a review. I wrote this series while still in Japan and took to heart how my Japanese friends would speak and react to me.

* * *

"Kiku!"

The Asian man jumped slightly. He turned, staying seated, and watched as the blonde head bobbed up the hill towards him. This day, Kiku was in his dark green _hakama_ and a light _hanten_ over it whereas Alfred was still in a nice Western style suit, but of a different color and a different tie. Today he was much more of the blue hue; perfect to match his eyes. He was also carrying a bento as he hurried up the small hill.

Despite the slight chill, the cherry blossoms had already started blooming and a few wafted down into Kiku's hair. He turned to look back out at the port, ever growing each day. The nation was still in shock and awe that such a strange and radical ideal known as _Western society_ had rapidly changed so much of his traditions. His people were quick to jump to everything new they could get their hands on.

"Kiku!" Alfred repeated. He stopped at the top of the hill, out of breathe, but a radiant smile still on his face. He was hardly without it and, for the relatively short time Kiku had known the man, he had never seen him frown. "Look! LOOK!"

Alfred shoved the bento in Kiku's face, almost hitting him in the jaw. Kiku stared down at the red box, uninterested.

"Yes, it's called a bento. Is that so strange?" Kiku asked simply. He watched as Alfred plopped down on the grass next to him. He winced slightly knowing that the freshly cleaned suit would now have grass stains on it.

Alfred had improved quickly with his Japanese and could speak it fluently now, but he still enjoyed slipping in English words. Kiku didn't mind, he found it endearing. "No, but it's exciting! It's my _first_ bento! Come on, you must've been excited when you got your first bento!"

"Mr. America, it's been so long since I first even made a bento that I don't quite remember it," Kiku said. He took a sip from his green tea he had been enjoying during his small picnic; the small tea kettle sat by his side along with his own bento.

"You don't remember? Shoot, I remember when I first had a lunch in a lunch bag!" Alfred began to open his bento.

Kiku couldn't hold back the tiniest of smiles at Alfred's youthfulness. He found it was hard to when he remembered that while Alfred was powerful, he was still very young. "Yes, but you are hardly 100 years old now."

"Fiddlesticks," Alfred waved it off. He was far more excited about his contents. "Whoa! Look at all that fish! And that's all from today, right?"

Kiku nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Wow! This is great! Thanks for the meal!" Alfred had already started eating. Kiku was still impressed by how easily Alfred had picked up on his cultural differences such as using chopsticks, bowing, sitting in the proper style (even if it hurt his legs), and saying thanks before a meal.

While Alfred ate, there was a shared silence between the two. Kiku always enjoyed these moments the most as it was a rare occurrence with the younger nation. He closed his eyes, enjoying the sounds of the distant waves, the slight breeze, and even Alfred's munching next to him. He found himself realizing that Alfred's company was becoming more and more a normal part of his day, almost as if it were an extension of himself.

"Say, Kiku," Alfred started, startling Kiku from his thoughts. However, it was a welcome respite. "I'm really glad that things between us are so good even if your boss hates me."

"Don't say such things," Kiku said, looking to Alfred. "My Emperor does quite enjoy your company, as do my people."

"Well I don't see them as much as I see you." Alfred shrugged, brushing some of the rice from his lips. Kiku looked back out at the ocean. "So even if your people didn't like me as much, I wouldn't care because you like me."

Kiku hesitated a moment, hoping that Alfred would take back what he said. Oh how he hoped he would take it back. But he didn't and Kiku was forced to reply.

"What…do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm glad you made the decision to still like me despite what others say and want you to do."

Kiku was genuinely confused, but Alfred didn't seem to grasp this just from the look on the Asian's face. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."

"We have our own feelings, right?" Alfred touched his chest over where his heart is. "Right here. We're like humans, but there are two differences; one being the voices in our head and the other being our unquestionable alliance to our people."

Kiku nodded. "I see."

"But we have our own feelings, our own voice, and we can choose to go, as ourselves, against what our people want, but still do as they ask."

"You're explanation is hard to understand," Kiku sighed. It was time to refill his tea cup.

"When I left Arthur, I left him because of my people," Alfred started. "As such, I haven't seen him since."

Kiku noted that Alfred had no sound of remorse in his tone. He chanced a look over and saw that Alfred's expression hadn't changed from that everlasting smile. Except for his eyes. They looked bluer, sadder.

"But me as a human, I want to see him again. I want to talk to him, spend some afternoons with him again, things like that." Alfred smiled over at Kiku. "Like I am with you. Not many people back home like the idea of me being so close and familiar with you, but I don't care. I'm doing my job while at the same time doing what I want."

Kiku frowned slightly. "But isn't that the same as defying them? We're not allowed such pleasantries."

"Who says?"

The two men made eye contact again. Kiku tried to look away, but he then understood something. Alfred had long ago mastered the art of hiding his true colors; _tatemae_. It was evident in how masterfully calm and collected he was at all times as well as how a smile constantly accompanied him wherever he went. But eyes always told the true story. Kiku was slightly relieved to know that not even the great United States of America could hide that.

"I don't…"

"Who says you can't do both? Why can't we have what we want and still do our job? We're just like humans." Alfred sounded so adamant about it that Kiku found himself slightly scared. He had never been presented with such a profound ideal.

He looked away quickly. "I don't understand. Please, let's change the topic."

Alfred sighed, exasperated, but looked out at the ocean. "All right."


	3. Tangible

"Kiku!"

Kiku stopped walking and turned around. He was almost to the top of the hill when Alfred had called to him. Alfred caught up to him, his long strides making it easy. He was hardly out of breath as he clapped a hand down on Kiku's shoulder.

"Tell me it's not true!" Alfred exclaimed, his expression worried.

Kiku turned away, knowing exactly why Alfred had come today. It wasn't for pleasantries. Kiku brushed Alfred's hand off of his pure white military uniform. "Yes, it's true Mr. America. Why would you ask me a question you already know?"

"Because it's stupid!" Alfred flung his hands in the air. "Aligning yourself with Veneciano and Ludwig is suicide! You'll only bring your people and yourself-"

Kiku turned sharply, his cold glare freezing Alfred. "Do not talk to me about my people after all the sanctions you have done to us. Because of you, inflation and taxes are almost unbearable."

"Then maybe you should've rethought what you did to Yao. Did he deserve any of that?" Alfred asked, his tone growing serious.

"That's none of your business," Japan mumbled. He turned away, signaling the end of the conversation.

"How can you say that and then expect me to send shipments to help you?" Alfred asked, exasperated.

When there was no answer, Alfred roughly grabbed Kiku's arm, forcing him to look at him. Kiku was quite alarmed to see the full force of Alfred's anger in his sneer and the penetrating glare. He struggled to free his arm, but that only made Alfred's grip tighten to the point where a gasp of pain escaped Kiku's lips.

"Don't do this, Kiku," Alfred commanded. He was no longer in the mood to negotiate with his old friend. "If you do…something bad will happen, I can feel it. I know you don't want this, I can see it in your eyes."

Kiku started to look away, but Alfred grabbed his shoulders. He turned him, catching his stare and knew Kiku couldn't escape. He thought he was so good at hiding his emotions, but Alfred was better. He had to be.

"Listen to me! We don't have any more time! If you go to war with Asia or any of the European countries, I'll have to stop you. I can't have you hurting anyone anymore."

"America, this is none of your business."

Alfred shook Kiku roughly. "Damnit, don't say that! I mean it Kiku! Listen to your heart! What is it telling you? Really listen to _your_ heart, Kiku! I know you have one! Don't go to war!"

When Alfred had stopped shaking Kiku, the Asian man thought for a second. His heart? True, he had felt it from time to time and it had all begun with his first meeting of Alfred. No… it had started so long ago… When Yao…

Kiku shoved Alfred away, turning away. He looked up at the bare cherry blossom tree. "Go home, America. I will not have you treating me this way."

Alfred was silent again, but this was not a welcome silence the two shared because of the enjoyment from each other's presence.

"I warned you…"

* * *

_Hoshiko2's cents: _Very short this time around. I originally wanted to write about how Japan was hurt by America, but I really decided against it. I'm not very good at poetically describing war.


	4. Tragedy

_Please be aware that this chapter is a little higher in rating due to minor violence.

* * *

_

Kiku…

It wasn't like the last time they met. It wasn't like that at all. There were no pleasantries, no lunch, and certainly no warnings. This time, it had come to blows. Kiku had gone far too far and he knew it. Did he regret it?

Alfred was going to make sure he did.

Kiku had stayed far away from the front lines during the war and he never set foot on any of his ships. He wasn't scared, but he knew that if there was even the slightest chance him and Alfred would see one another, the war might grow worse in seconds. He couldn't put his men in that much danger. Kiku was indebted to his men and admired them so. He refused to give up. His pride was pushing him forwards, his people pushing him on, and his own desires. He had to win.

It was not the constant echo of Alfred's voice. No. That was something he woke up in the night terrified of hearing again. He'd heard from some of his soldiers, the few that returned well enough to remember, that there was a beast coming. America had changed.

One soldier had a detailed description of Alfred from when he saw him. He happened, by chance, to be spared by an American soldier. In that brief moment, another Japanese soldier had shot him. But he didn't live much longer after that.

_He was hit down by a claw. I know it was a claw, sir. It had razor sharp nails. No human could have possibly had a hand like that, sir. The beast it belonged to had fangs, glowing red eyes, and a monstrous form. He was covered in darkness, so I regretfully couldn't see much. But I know it was America. He called for your name and on his back there was a terribly deep wound down between his shoulder blades. It was frightening!_

Kiku had been stunned by these mans words. Alfred had been calling for him? Kiku's mind whirled of what he sounded like and a strange chill went down his spine. Later that night he had started to have nightmares of a monster with a red face, yellow fangs, wild and bugged out eyes, and stringy blonde hair looking for Kiku. He came into his house, killed his guards, and found Kiku sleeping in his futon. He killed him with a bomb. A bomb that Alfred had been hinting he had. Kiku didn't believe him, but there it was, in his dreams. He had shoved it into his mouth and growled at him to eat it.

That was when Kiku always awoke in sweat and terror. He refused to cry and refused to call for help. Still, slowly, he could feel Alfred encroaching. His people were terrified and morale was starting to slip away. It made Kiku feel uncomfortable. Nevertheless, he refused to let anyone outside see this. He had to keep a face to his government officials and military that their efforts weren't in vain.

Not too much longer, there had been word the Americans were starting to turn the tide. Kiku knew his soldiers needed a morale boost and what better way than their own country coming to visit them? He made almost every solider a bento box and had them delivered to the ship he was currently visiting in the sea. Seeing their country, the men remembered all of their ideals, their pride, their love and devotion for their homeland.

Kiku felt even stronger and knew he couldn't give in to that man or his people, no matter what their history was.

He thought back on the times they were always together. How loud and obnoxious he was to the point of embarrassment; how rudely he came into his life, demanding this and that, all incredibly insatiable. How he would eat too quickly, speak too quickly, and act too rashly. He would run into matters like a child. This child would not be one to defeat him in battle.

It came without warning when the sirens rang and the men sprang into action. Planes and battleships flying the American colors were spotted. Kiku was unprepared, but ran to help his men. He knew how to use the guns. Without fear, the nation protected his citizens and they protected him. Explosions overhead shattered the sky, scaring the younger men.

The ships pushed forward, shoving the ships back. Kiku noticed how one in particular was surging forward faster than the others. Kiku aimed his guns at the ship, but stopped when he saw red. Not from the flag and not from blood. No… Someone's eyes.

A shadow loomed on the deck of a ship that jumped over onto the Japanese ship. The men charged the figure, but were swatted aside as if they were flies. Kiku turned the gun on the form, but to no avail. The shadow seemed to eat the bullets. A growl rumbled from its chest as it lumbered closer to Kiku.

Kiku abandoned his gun and reached for his katana on instinct, only to remember he didn't think to bring it. The thought, for whatever reason, just hadn't crossed his mind. Now he mentally cursed his forgetfulness and stumbled around for another more suitable weapon.

"_Kiku…"_

The Asian stopped in his tracks. That voice. It belonged to a demon. He refused to acknowledge that it belonged to his once friend.

He was never a friend! Kiku screamed at himself.

He grabbed a piece of shrapnel and with a yell, attacked. He swiped at the nation turned beast, but it evaded him so quickly. It jumped up higher than a human and with a hard landing on the deck, broke the metal underfoot. Kiku stumbled back from the impact on the ground, but kept his attack up. Nothing else mattered as the two faced off despite the world falling apart all around them. By now the sea was red with a black and smoky sky above.

Kiku tried to catch the beast off guard, but it resulted in him grabbing his weapon, crushing it to pieces with his claws. Kiku looked at the destroyed shrapnel before he faced America bravely. He would not back down.

"Look at yourself, America. What have you become?" Kiku said quietly, but sternly.

America loomed over him. He had grown twice his size and was bursting with raw energy. Kiku didn't even want to think of how scary it was that the nation had changed. He'd never heard of such a thing happening to a country. No, he had to focus on beating the American.

America didn't reply, but stared at Kiku, his growl reverberating throughout his entire body. He then slapped his claw across Kiku's face. The man let out a scream of pain as then another and another assaulted him. He tried to stay standing, but America's hits were much harder than normal. He lost his balance and fell, but America caught him by the collar.

Holding Kiku up in the air over the side of the ship, America rumbled, _"Watch as I kill your children like you killed mine… I'll tear you to pieces…"_

Kiku cried and squirmed in fear. He could feel them all dying, screaming for help and from fear as these Americans killed them all. Still, America held him, forced him to watch this loss.

It wouldn't be long before America tossed Kiku to the ground. He looked back at him as he turned to leave.

"_I'll see you again… And I won't be so gentle…"_

Kiku watched as America jumped back to his battleship, vowing he'd rather have his children kill themselves honorably before letting that _beast_ onto his sacred lands again.

* * *

_Hoshiko2's cents_: Props to anyone who can figure out this battle scene as it was a rather important one in the Pacific War.  
And I do apologize if it's a little graphic for some people, but I wanted to get across the "Sleeping Beast" the America had become.


	5. Tattered

"Kiku!"

The cherry blossoms were gone, it was all gone. Only the fire and ash remained. And blood; so much blood and flesh. Kiku sat on top of his hill, the branches of the burned tree from long ago in tattered remains around him, or were those bodies? Kiku couldn't tell anymore. His eyes were so clouded from the smoke and bombs and death.

He looked over slowly to see the blonde bobbing up to the hill. It was Alfred, but he wasn't smiling and he wasn't holding a bento. He wasn't in a suit and he didn't come to talk. He came to kill.

Kiku started to stand up, but the pain in his side hit him so hard he was forced to sit. He clutched his right side only to see that it had been split open again; the sudden movement reopening his wound.

Panting harshly, Kiku glared up at the Western nation. "Why are you here?"

"Your boss has given up," Alfred replied. He stopped a short distance away from Kiku. He wasn't angry. No, he was far from angry. "You've lost and the war's over."

Kiku knew that his boss had given up hours ago. It was what drove him to this hill. After all his hard work, all the work of his people, they had just given up so easily.

"That's all you have to say?" Kiku asked. "After you burned and killed thousands of my people?"

"…And what did you say to my warning, Kiku?" Alfred's eyes flashed betrayal, but still his mournful expression remained on his face. He was only looking at Kiku, not the death around him. "You stabbed me in the _back_, Kiku."

Kiku had always wanted to see it, from the very start. The pain behind those glasses in those eyes that were always shinning. He didn't hate the shine, but he wanted them to change. Just once, like before on the hill years ago. There was that brief moment when Alfred's expression showed what he was inside. He was scared and hurt and alone. But then, so was Kiku at the moment. He had been beaten so badly he didn't even know what was his anymore. At the moment, Alfred had a part of his foot as his own.

Was it worth it? Kiku thought. He thought of how many years the fighting had gone on, the starving, the lies, the fears, and the pride wounded so horribly he didn't know if his people would ever recover. He didn't feel he could recover from his humiliation. But still, he had seen it.

Alfred might be scared and alone and lost from whatever pains he didn't share with the rest of the world, but that didn't stop him from changing like he did. Kiku mentally pushed that vision from his mind; those red eyes. He would not remember the creature that Alfred, the man standing before him, had turned into.

So was it worth it? Kiku thought. To see his _honne_ and not his _tatamae_…?

The men were silent; knowing that anything more said between them would get them nowhere.

Kiku dropped his head. "You've won… Are you happy?"

"No…" Alfred fell to his knees. He didn't care that his naval uniform would be dirtied by the blood and ash around him. "I didn't want this, Kiku… You were…my best friend… That's why… I'm going to help you."

"What?" Kiku blinked. The ash was growing wet from tears. He looked up. "What did you say?"

A hand had been extended to Kiku. Alfred was smiling, but still so sad and regretful. "Please, Kiku. Let me help you. I didn't want to hurt you or kill anyone here. You know how much I care for you."

"Is this something from your people?" Kiku asked warily. He eyed the hand seeing that his hands were slightly burned, the same as his own.

"No," Alfred shook his head. "They're still celebrating… This is what _I_ want. What do you want?"

Kiku looked from the hand to Alfred.

* * *

"Kiku!"

The door opened and Kiku looked up at Alfred. "Welcome back. Did you buy everything you wanted?"

"Yup! I love your convenience stores, dude." Alfred came into Kiku's house, kicking off his shoes. "They're so close and have everything! It's so convenient!"

"I see…" Kiku smiled slightly, heading back inside. He sat down at his _kotatsu_, his legs and feet enjoying the warmth under the table. "Pochi," he called lightly, patting his lap.

The white fluff ball in the corner reacted to the name called and happily joined Kiku. He curled up into his lap, falling into a warm sleep.

Alfred came into the room as well, taking up his own spot on the opposite side of Kiku. He picked up a video game controller. "You ready to rock and roll?"

Kiku picked up his own controller. The video game was currently on pause. He smiled slightly over at Alfred, but not before he pulled out some pizza chips from the store bag Alfred had dropped on the table. "You haven't beaten me in the last six rounds. What makes you think you'll win this time?"

"Because I'm going to use Jiggleypuff this time and everyone knows that her final attack is a beast of a move," Alfred laughed, shoving a Pocky stick in his mouth. "If I can beat Francis with that little puff, I can beat you."

"Not if I use Lucario," Kiku teased.

"Well don't use Pit again, you cheating bastard."

Kiku smiled, enjoying this moment as much as their silent times together. He unpaused the game, mumbling, "Of course not, Alfred."

* * *

_Hoshiko2_'s cents: And that's it for this side story. If you'd like to read more of my stories, please visit my homepage and see.  
There will be another side story to _The Darkness Within Me_ and will focus on Russia from when he was a child to present.  
Oh, and a side note. For those who don't understand a few cultural words. _Tatemae _means the outward feelings people show. It's almost like a mask someone will put on and is generally seen in Japanese people to be polite to strangers. _Honne_ is one's true feelings, how you would be with friends. The fact that America, after all these years, still had up _Tatemae_ to Japan really set him off. But then again, was Japan any better?  
Also, my reference to Japan's foot is Okinawa. It stayed a territory of America until Regan's presidential reign where Japan demanded it back.

Hope you enjoyed my fanfic! Thanks for reading and reviewing!


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